Hear Me Cry
by MacGateFan
Summary: Written for the tabaslotb LJ fication. Chlark. HC. Spoilers for The Tomb. I hope you like it.


Title: Hear Me Cry  
Rating: PG13  
Author: MacGateFan  
Ficathon Prompt: (Chlark) Hurt/Comfort  
Spoilers: The Tomb  
Disclaimers: All Smallville characters are property of the Warner Bros, DC Comics and others who aren't me.Notes: I plan on a sequel soon. :)

Chloe's heart felt heavy as she walked out of the institute. True, it felt great to be in her Mother's arms again, but Anna Sullivan, even though she recognized her daughter, did not say much of anything to her.

Chloe didn't think she ever would. She needed to know the circumstances surrounding her Mothers' entry into the institution. One would probably be surprised that she never pursued it, but it had always scared her to find out why.

She was so lost in thought that she almost didn't hear Clark call out to her. She smiled sadly at him. Her greatest friend on the entire Earth, and he wasn't even born on this planet!

"How are you holding up?" Clark asked, concern etched on his face.

"I'm doing okay," she replied. "I saw my Mom. It was great..."

"But?"

"But she didn't say much. I don't know if she feels guilty or if she feels unworthy of my love."

Clark took Chloe's hand and led her to the car. The pair was silent the whole ride back. Clark kept glancing at his friend. She seemed so out of character. He understood why and decided to let it go for now.

"Will you be all right?" Clark asked worriedly as she climbed out of the truck.

"I will be," she replied. "Thanks for everything, Clark."

He nodded. "Always, Chloe. Call me if you need anything, I'll be here in two seconds."

He made certain she was safely locked in her dorm, then drove off. At least Lana was there so she wouldn't be alone.

* * *

Chloe didn't say a word to Lana as she kicked off her shoes and sank onto the bed. The other girl just watched her in confusion. "Chloe, are you all right?" she asked. 

"Never better," Chloe lied.

Lana sat next to her friend. "You used to be a good liar, but this time it shows. What happened?"

"It's kind of a long story and I'm exhausted. Can we talk about it later?"

She nodded. "If you want," Lana replied. "I'll be spending the weekend in Smallville, though. You

look like you could use some time there as well."

"Maybe. There's a story I want to work on, though."

"Good luck with that. Call me if you need anything."

Chloe didn't respond. Everyone wanted her to call them if she needed anything. But they couldn't give her what she wanted and that was her Mother, healthy and sane. Why this sudden urge to have her has come up, she didn't know.

"I miss you, Mommy..." she whispered.

Chloe decided she needed to go for a walk to clear her mind. A glance at the clock showed her that Clark wouldn't be home for another two hours or so. She would be back before he called to check on her. Grabbing her keys and a jacket, Chloe headed out the door.

* * *

He grinned when he saw her coming out of the dorm. He wanted her so badly. He had wanted her since the first day he laid eyes on her. Her beautiful skin, her glowing hair, and that gorgeous body. 

Chloe Sullivan was going to be his and no one was going to stop him!

* * *

Clark couldn't stop the nagging feeling that something was about to go horribly wrong. He glanced at the clock on the dashboard. He could run much faster. He had to check on Chloe. Clark quickly pulled to the side of the road, locked the doors, and ran back to Met U. 

When he arrived, he slowed to a normal speed and ran up to Chloe's dorm. There was no answer at his knock, so he tried her cell phone. He could hear it ringing inside. That's odd, he thought, that phone's usually attached to Chloe's ear.

He took a deep breath, swallowed his pride and called Lana. He was a little surprised she answered it. "Clark?"

"Have you seen Chloe?"

"Not since I left about 45 minutes ago, why?"

"She's not answering the door and I heard her cell ringing in the dorm. Do you have any idea where she went off to?"

"No, I don't. Clark, is everything all right? Chloe seemed really upset. Maybe I should come back."

"I'll let her tell you about what's going on because she asked me not to say anything. I'll call you when I find her."

"Are you sure you don't need my help?" she asked.

"I think I've got it covered for now. Thanks."

Clark hung up the phone and headed back outside. He saw a group of people who had been sitting out on the lawn since he dropped Chloe off. "Excuse me," he said, "but did any of you see 5'2 blond wearing a green top and capris leave the dorm?"

"You mean Chloe?" A girl asked.

"Yeah."

"She went towards the Met Cafe about five minutes ago."

Clark waved a thank you to the girl, and ran off in that direction. When he turned the corner, his eyes caught a glint of something. They were keys. He recognized the 'Hello Kitty' key chain immediately.

He had given it to Chloe for her birthday last year.

"Chloe!" He shouted. The only response was the chirping of birds.

* * *

Chloe was having trouble lifting her head from the cold, damp floor. Why was it so hard for her to open her eyes and way was it freezing? "Clark. Help me..." she whispered. She had no clue how well he could hear. She wanted to have hope that he would be there for her, he always was. 

"I see you're awake," a voice said. "Good. Now we can play."

Chloe definitely did not like the sound of that! When she was finally able to open her eyes, things were a bit blurry for a few seconds. "Who are you?" she asked warily as the man came into focus.

"You can call me Steve. I've been watching you, Chloe Sullivan," he said, stepping out of the shadows.

He was really creeping her out. His voice was raspy, but he was not too bad looking a guy. Why do the hot ones always have to be crazy? Well, except Clark... Clark. She hoped he wasn't home yet. She hoped he had turned around.

This had to be one of the worst days of her life!

Before she knew it, Steve was standing next to her. He leered at her and grabbed her by the arm. "Stand up!" he ordered. She did so and nearly cried out in pain when he took a fistful of her hair into his hands and kissed her hard. She could feel his other hand underneath her shirt.

With all the courage and andrenaline she could muster, Chloe slammed her knee into his groin. He cried out, but didn't release her hair as he went down. "You bitch!" he gasped, throwing her across the room.

The last thing she heard was someone yelling at Steve and the darkness enveloped her...

* * *

"Clark. Help me..." 

That was the first indication he had that Chloe was still on campus. He glanced in the direction he came from. "I'm coming, Chloe," he replied, determination etched on his face.

Clark was not prepared for what he saw. Some guy looked pissed as he glared at Chloe, who he had apparently thrown against the wall. He could tell that Chloe was losing the battle with consciousness.

"Why don't you pick on someone your own size!" Clark inwardly grimaced. He could not believe he just said that. 'I have been reading too many comics.'

"Stay out of this!" Steve growled. "This has nothing to do with you. I'm just having a conversation with this slut."

"You did not just call her that!" Clark needed no red kryptonite to slam that guy against a wall. "How do you like being pushed around?"

He quickly dialed 911, explaining the situation, then ran over to Chloe to try and wake her up. Those few minutes of her not moving were the longest of his life.

He starred at her features. Her face was so beautiful and his heart had nearly stopped at the mere thought of losing her. She was his lifeline. She was his soul-mate. Why didn't he see it before? "I love you, Chloe," he said, kissing her softly on the forehead.

"Love you too, Clark," she said, her eyes fluttering open. That grin was enough to make any girl melt. And she knew, this time, that it was for her.

* * *

Clark watched as Chloe slept soundly. She told him that he didn't need to stay the night, but he wasn't about to let her out of his sight. He called his parents to let him know of the situation. Mr. Kent agreed that he and Martha would pick up the truck. Clark needed to make certain Chloe would be all right. 

He stared for minutes at the purplish bruise that had formed around her left eye. If only he had stayed with her. If only... Clark shut his eyes, pushing away the 'if onlys'.

"What's done is done", his Father had told him, "What's important is that Chloe is safe!"

Clark jumped when he heard the door open behind him. "Lana!" he exclaimed, standing. He forgot to call her!

"I came back here because neither of you were answering your cell phones." She saw Chloe's face and gasped. "Oh my God! What happened?"

"Chloe was grabbed by some creep from campus who'd been stalking her."

"Oh my God!" she said again. "How did they find her?"

He glanced back at her. "Actually, I did. I don't really know how I lucked out, I just did."

Lana could tell that something changed in the way he was looking at her. She didn't see the 'best friend who was worried look', she saw, 'I finally found the woman I want to be with forever look'.

Lana could tell it was really weighing on his mind. "Are you all right?" she asked.

"It's just. I thought I was going to lose her, Lana." A tear drop fell from his eye and Lana wiped it away. She couldn't remember a time when Clark cried in front of her.

Yeah, he had broken up with her, but when he did, he wasn't really lying to her. He knew he hadn't really been in love with her. She hugged him close as he cried. "She's fine, Clark," Lana said. "She's alive, remember that."

"Thanks, Lana," he whispered.

Clark was snapped out of his dream by someone screaming his name. His eyes widened when he woke up to find Chloe in the throes of a major nightmare. "Clark!" she cried. "Don't leave me! Clark!"

"Chloe! Chloe wake up! I'm right here!" he replied, holding her arms so she wouldn't hurt herself. He could feel Lana's presence behind him. "Chloe!"

She opened her eyes and relief flooded into them. Her heart thumped in her chest and she wrapped her arms around him tightly. "Clark! I dreamt... I dreamt that Steve had killed you! And my parents."

"He can't hurt you anymore, Chloe," Clark replied. "I'm alive. Your parents are fine."

Chloe nodded and pulled away slightly. She laughed. "Look at your shirt! What a mess."

He smiled and trailed a finger across her cheek. "It's all right."

"Clark, can I... can we...?" Clark watched as she took a deep breath. He never thought he'd see the day when Chloe Sullivan would be at a loss for words. She glanced at the clock. "It's not too early, can we go see my Dad and then my Mom I want to talk to them, but I don't want to be alone. Please?"

"Of course, sweetheart."

Chloe grinned. She hadn't imagined what he said to her! "Give me 10 minutes to get ready."

"I'll give that to you, but you don't need that long," he told her, kissing her on the lips. "I'll be outside."

Chloe sighed as he left. It was then that she noticed Lana for the first time. "Oh God! I'm sorry, Lana, I didn't... I mean..."

She shook her head. "Don't worry about it, Chloe. Clark and I had a talk. We both have an understanding. You two deserve each other. Besides, I have my sights set on someone else."

"I take it he's as bald as they come," Chloe responded, as she got up and began scrounging for something to wear.

Lana blushed. "He is. I admit, that I'll always have a soft spot for Clark, but we're just not meant to be together."

"Somehow, I think, everyone has a soft spot for Clark," Chloe said with a laugh.

Clark was sitting on the dorm steps when Chloe came out. She ran up behind him and put her arms around his neck. "Hey. Ready?"

"I am. Are you?"

Chloe nodded. "I'm ready. I'm ready for anything!"


End file.
